Start with facts:
Nuke reg commish makes a move they have been planning very publicly for thirty years.
Pretend like Obama ordered it based on no facts.
Analyse to death, forgetting you invented Obamas role.
Conclude it is Obamas fault.
Sit back in satisfaction. You have "proved" once again Obama hates America.
Turn on Talk Radio

I grow weary of waiting for Matty to make a comment that is not fueled by bigotry against 1) black people, 2) brown people, 3) female people, or 4) gay people. I also don't think he is going to come up with a mass murderer ala Columbine that isn't an angry white male. So I'm going to return to topic--the Richmond refinery fire and what it means in this John Birch Society/Koch brothers political cycle. It was fun to troll for the troll, but there is a real lesson here.

I know a number of the executives at Chevron's Richmond refinery, and their environmental record, pretty well. They have turned, at least somewhat, away from the authoritarian approach that ensured the election of Gayle McLaughlin. They have also spent a fair amount of money in education in Richmond.

On the environmental side, Chevron's record is pretty good--where there is a strong and robust regulatory program. Chevron's management realizes that they are a big, deep pocket target subject to scrutiny from those who don't trust big business, so they are scrupulous. They comply with their discharge requirements, for the most part, and are cleaning up land-based pollution to the satisfaction of the agencies.

It is not just fortunate that nobody was killed in the recent fire--it was the result of stronger regulations. Between 1992 and 1999 there were 11 serious incidents at Contra Costa County's heavy industries (seven refineries and chemical plants). Those incidents killed six workers and injured nearly 50 other workers, as well as sending more than 23,000 people to local hospitals for respiratory treatment. But stronger regulations on safety, and on public notice, have resulted in fewer and less catastrophic accidents.

Richmond remains a hotbed of poverty. While the refinery does employ some Richmond residents, and pump taxes and economic benefits into the city, most residents perceive the company as arrogant and responsive. Just like their apologists on this forum and in the national media.

So keeping big businesses like Chevron honest requires a strong regulatory program. The John Birch wing of the Republican party, which has taken over and ousted all aspects of moderation, wants to gut all of those regulatory programs. The talking points are jobs, freedom, lower taxes. The impacts are to public health and higher middle class taxes.

For those who argue that big business has learned its lesson, and Obama should approved the Keystone pipeline without delay, despite the Clean Water Act and other environmental laws, I give you this.

(

Quote:

Reuters) - The pipeline regulator on Monday issued a $3.7 million civil penalty against Enbridge Inc for a July 2010 crude oil spill, the largest fine ever proposed by the agency.

The Transportation Department's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) said its probe uncovered two dozen regulation violations related to the leak on Enbridge's Line 6B near Marshall, Michigan.
We will hold pipeline operators accountable if they do not follow proper safety procedures to protect the environment and local communities," U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.

PHMSA's order against Enbridge accuses the company of failing to adhere to regulations for maintaining pipeline integrity.

The agency also said the company continued to attempt to restart the pipeline even though it received multiple leak alarms the night the pipeline ruptured, leading to the release of more oil.

Enbridge's 30 inch line ultimately spilled more than 20,000 barrels of heavy crude and contaminated 38 miles of the Kalamazoo River.

The accident shut down the pipeline for more than two months and spawned a massive clean-up effort that the company has estimated will cost over $700 million.

Enbridge is the company involved in the controversial Northern Gateway tar sands project proposal in Canada.

But like the phones and the lost lawsuit on nuclear waste, the knuckledraggers will try to blame Obama for the bad behavior in their boys club.

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